The Department of Respiratory Care in the College of Health Sciences at Rush University in Chicago is dedicated to clinical and academic excellence in teaching, research, service and patient care. The respiratory care program is designed to provide students with an outstanding education in preparation for a satisfying professional career as advanced respiratory care practitioners as well as to provide a foundation for leadership in education, research, clinical specialization and management.

In June 2009, my mother, Kathleen Mai, was unexpectedly diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). This came after weeks of misdiagnosis of pneumonia. Sadly, due to the delay of an accurate diagnosis of this deadly disease, my mom died just days later. We missed a window of opportunity for proper care and the possibility of a lung transplant that may have saved her life.